President Lungu needs to change his media team

Special Assistant for Press and Public Relations to the President Amos Chanda chats with PF Media and Publicity Committee Chairman Sunday Chanda at State House

Political activist Laura Miti has advised President Edgar Lungu to change his media team.

Ms. Miti observes that President Lungu is surrounded by a media team that highlights his failures.

She said those speaking for President Lungu are helping to reduce the amount of popularity that he still has.

Ms. Miti has since suggested that Presidential Spokesman Amos Chanda be replaced with Emmanuel Mwamba while PF Media Director Sunday Chanda be dropped and replaced with Antonio Mwanza.

Below is Ms. Miti’s full statement

PRESIDENT LUNGU NEEDS TO CHANGE HIS SPIN DOCTORS

Since we are in reshuffle season, I thought I would suggest to President Lungu some changes that would be very good for him. It is my view that, apart from his personal failures as President, EL’s biggest problem right now is that he has a media team that highlights those failures. By being abrasive, confrontational and overly defensive, his proxies call attention to the president’s foot-in-the-puddle moments rather than mitigate them. Simply, the people currently speaking for the President are reducing what popularity he still holds by being counterproductive in their duties. So, me thinks he needs to change them. Here are my suggestions:

1. First, I would like to say that Dora Siliya is very good pick for Information Minister. She is not every body’s choice for a best friend, but few would argue against the assertion that she is intelligent, eloquent and confident. She is also quite well informed and should do a good job of spinning soya pieces into rump steak.

2. Replace Amos Chanda with Emmanuel Mwamba

Here is my reasoning: Amos, who started off as a breath of fresh air after the obnoxiousness of both Dickson Jere and George Chellah, is now worse than the two combined in his failure to know his place. Quite simply, Amos comes across as seeing himself as the President’s alternate. He does not speak for the President, he speaks as him. Now that would not be so problematic if he were not so emotional. The president’s spokesperson’s job is not to take personal offence and get into emotional brawls with his principle’s detractors. He certainly should not add fuel to controversies. Rather, a good spokesperson convinces the public, even when they are very angry, that they may have misunderstood the president. Contrary to that, what Amos does is, at best, to talk down at the public like they are annoying children or, at worst, use insulting language. Because he has conflated his position with that of the president’s he is personal in his engagement. In that way, he fails in his duty to build the president as a separate entity from himself. For goodness sake, Amos is a junior official. A mouthpiece. He should not suggest he is the president’s double, even if the president privately treats him as such. In short, Amos’ misplaced understanding of his office is not helping a president who, right now, needs to hold on to flagging popularity.

3. Why Emmanuel?

Well, let us start by admitting that Emmanuel is many times very annoying in the tall tales he smoothly tells. But that is what makes him a very good spin doctor. He rarely gets emotional and thinks way ahead of matters. He uses more than just words to manage situations. An example is trying to meet Pilato and Amnesty International at the Zambian Embassy in SA. He was trying to take control of the negative narrative of a citizen who has run away from threats on his life made by ruling party thugs. The plan failed, but it was smart. I think too that Emmanuel is astute enough to never overshadow the President. He would be very good at building the image of a President in trouble, without competing for the limelight.

4. Replace Sunday Chanda with Antonio Mwanza.

Quite a few members of the public were very disappointed, lost respect for him really, when Antonio joined a ruling party that he had been very critical of. It did not help that he immediately proceeded to unsay everything he had stood for, for years. But, hey, that damaged reputation is his to live with.
The post-joining-PF problem I have noticed is that rather than bring the intellectual approach to spin that he displayed while in the FDD, Antonio has completely immersed himself in the quarrelsome, bully-the-public-into-unthinking-submission ways his new boss, Sunday Chanda, seems to prefer. Sunday generally makes very loud but unconvincing arguments and so comes across as lost for explanations. To now have two people constantly eliciting a “hmmmm koma kaya” response from the public, does the PF and the president no good. Me thinks that if Antonio was made boss of PF media, and Sunday taken into the diplomatic service somewhere as a consolation, a Dora, Emmanuel and Antonio team would bring some much-needed skill to spinning the presidency.

Simply, a president like Lungu, who even at the best of times is apt to make some very problematic pronouncements, needs intellect, not emotion, to sell him to the public when the waters are rough.

44 COMMENTS

I don’t even know how a st0oge and a crim-inal like Sunday Chanda found himself at the helm of the PF media team. He has even taught Antonio some bad manners. Antonio was a stable and sober guy, now he is competing for charlataniship with Sunday.

Emmanuel Mwamba and Antonio Mwanza are too sharp for Lungu. They would be a challenge to him. He has to keep the sharp knives away from the drawer. Mwanza will soon be sent out of the country. Watch. He needs those who are just a bit less able than he is, in that way, when he speaks after them, he shines.

Laura is very right. The special assistant for press in the president’s office is too stuck up. He doesn’t know that he is a civil servant not a politician. That’s what happens when a cabin dweller from chiwempala is introduced to state house

Unfortunately its like this president is incapable of making any decisions of his own. What you have highlighted on Amos is very correct to a T and if it was LPM, he would have been replaced like yesterday. Great advise though, we ll see if it will be considered.

The entire team needs an overhaul. Known thieves on the team continue to damage the image of the party. It does not help the president to seal a few holes in a ship that is about to run aground when the sails are completely torn to tatters! Even Dora with her blonde hair and being articulate will not do much to serve a kleptomaniac administration in self – destruction mode. The president does his best to destroy his own standing as a credible leader. The writing is on the wall.

What a democracy, because Laura has failed to break down these two PF super defenders, now she is advising the president to fire them??? Unlike Mwanawasa and Sata who were compromised by this cartel, ECL has surrounded himself with tough nuts to defend him and this cartel, which combined the manipulation of media (Post), the international community and NGOs to hold the presidency hostage, are finding it hard to do their dirty work. The Chandas at number 4 and 5 are perfect. Pathetic article, a total load of sh#t!!!

Very good and interesting observation though the motive behind her advise is questionable. Advise given in public always has a motive (not a good one) but given in private is meant to help someone. If you want to give gifts of mercy , do it in private and NOT through the media or ask cameraman arrive and then give to the poor .its not worthy it.Good and correct view point with evil motive of wanting rendition.

@12 Southerner, Spot on! What is Laura’s INTENTION? At first criticism, criticism and then… it may end up like Antonio Mwanza!! So, Laura may be drawing near to PF, she just fell short of suggesting another change; “replacing the political adviser with her!!”.

The captured President says he will never act or receive any advice given in public. A Presidebt who publicly went on his knees to beg us to vote for him. This poses a quandary. We don’t have access to him because he is under capture by his staff, and he blatantly refuses to heed to advice given in public by his masters, the voters. We hold the ace. We are voting you out Mr President. You only have yourself to blame and I suppose your family. Can’t they see that you are being brought down by your staff, if you can’t see? What measures did you put in place to be in touch with the Zambian people who voted you into office? Zero. The knee jerk responses of shuffling cabinet are too little too late Sir. Your silence on a number of issues whic the voters want to hear from you is deafening…

Dude, you are appealing to the most short-sighted, non-strategic thinking, visionless and dullest president in the history of this country, Surely, is a person with such traits capable of heeding objective advice??

Amos Chanda appears to be oblivious that we the Zambian voters, the tax payers, pay his wages. He is not a deployee of PF. He is a civil servant who must act in good faith to all Zambians. He owes us a duty to explain the Presidebts stand on all the issues which concern Zambians and the world at large. This is especially so, because we have a Presidebt who does not hold press conferences, cannot take questions from the press whose role it is to relay and disseminate information to the public. This is a President who only takes questions or gives statements at airports or at raliies where he is now insulting Zambians. Chipuba, Ifiwelewele, amongst others. Hence it can be deduced that Amos takes a leaf from the President where he talks down to Zambians. Alternatively Amos could be…

The article is on point about the 2 Chandas. However, the alternative is not any better. Replacing 2 minions full of themselves with career politicians with no integrity… in other enlightened countries Antonio Mwanza and Emmanuel Mwamba would have been confined to the dustbins, never to be heard again. Who could forget crooked Mwamba during the FTJ Kafupi days, and the mess he is doing in S/Africa. Inviting AMnesty International is not a qualification. And Mwanza you already destroyed him by exposing his hypocrisy… he is a man without principles and without integrity.

As for Siliya, the lady is overrated and she dupes the gullible but she has failed in every ministry she has managed, only being followed by scandal after scandal (check the air traffic control towers; the Malawi…

The problem here is not Amos Chanda or Sunday but the man they are trying to protect. Lungu is corrupt and he has no vision, no leadership material. He can’t even face his own media for press conferences. And guess he would never fire those Chandas because they know so much evil secrets of his… he uses these guys to steal and they know how and how much he has stolen and they even know how stole the elections. he will have to @[email protected] / k!ll them if he has to fire them.

If they will guarantee the removal of one Lungu, better to leave this useless media team the way it is. Most of us do not want an improved Lungu however impossible that is. We just want ‘No Lungu’ after 2021.

Very right in Dora Siliya and Emanuel Mwamba. Dora is also extremely attractive (Dora for President, but that is a story for another day) and expresses herself well. Emanuel Mwamba as annoying as he is, can be very good at dealing with scandals that the PF are rocked with.

# RogerRamjet was Zambia a candidate in the last two elections? I never saw that name on any of the ballot papers …; Hate? So you mean all the millions who voted against ECL are haters of ECL? I am of the view that they exercised their inherent democratic right to vote for who they choose to vote for. And this time round, the millions who voted against him then, will be increased because now they will be joined be those who have seen for themselves that ECL has failed us either inadvertently or knowingly. But ignorance is no defence.

Laura Miti and UPND knows that Amos Chanda at State House , Dora Siliya as Chief Government Spokesperson and Sunday Chanda as PF Media Director, they’ll not easily touch Lungu.

Mwamba can’t last a day at Plot 1 just like Mwanza can be easily swallowed up by a revolt in PF. Infact Mwanza should be thankful Sunday has carried him under his wings otherwise PF cadres still have problems with him as a newcomer alelya epo tabombele.

I don’t like Sunday Chanda or Amos Chanda (the two are not related by the way) but it’s clear UPND has struggled to handle their combination.

@22 Titus “Kafupi”,
Yours is a classic case of kusiyana siyana kwa maOffice. I mean, Dora is basically obese and with wider than average iris below the pupil than is normal, she looks like a dying person to most. How that can be classified as attractive vexes me. The next thing Titus Kafupi will claim is that Nkandu Luo is the “beautifullest” girl in Z.

The article is on point about the 2 Chandas. However, the alternative is not any better. Replacing 2 min!ons full of themselves with career politicians with no integrity… in other enlightened countries Antonio Mwanza and Emmanuel Mwamba would have been confined to the dustb!ns, never to be heard again. Who could forget cro0ked Mwamba during the FTJ Kafupi days, and the mess he is doing in S/Africa. Inviting Amnesty International is not a qualification. And Mwanza you already destroyed him by exposing his hypocr!sy… he is a man without principles and without integrity.

As for Siliya, the lady is overrated and she dupes the gull!ble but she has failed in every ministry she has managed, only being followed by scandal after scandal (check the air traffic control towers; the Malawi…

The article is on point about the 2 [email protected] However, the alternative is not any better. Replacing 2 minions full of themselves with career politicians with no integrity… in other enlightened countries Ant0nio [email protected] and Emmanuel [email protected] would have been confined to the d.ustbins, never to be heard again. Who could forget cr00ked Mwamba during the FTJ days, and the m€ss he is doing in S/Africa. Inviting Amnesty International is not a qualification. And Mwanza you already destr0yed him by exposing his hypocr!sy… he is a man without principles and without integrity.

As for S!liya, the lady is overrated and she d.upes the gull!ble but she has failed in every ministry she has managed, only being followed by [email protected] after [email protected] (check the air traffic control towers; the Malawi…

continued
…the Malawi maizegate; the grasshopper or whatever it was; etc.)

The problem here is not Amos Chanda or Sunday but the man they are trying to protect. Lungu is corrupt and he has no vision, no leadership material. He can’t even face his own media for press conferences. And guess he would never fire those Chandas because they know so much evil secrets of his… he uses these guys to steal and they know how and how much he has stolen and they even know how stole the elections. he will have to @[email protected] / k!ll them if he has to fire them.P.S. had to repost this because for some reason LT found the comment above 0ffensive… we!rd.

President Lungu is surrounded by: Cadres; Treasure Hunters; and the Zambian Intelligence / OP; who are deliberately or out of ignorance misinforming and misleading the president.
Cadres are Zealots and Chatter Boxes that are destroying the good image, President Lungu is trying to build.
Treasure Hunters are those who are out to make as much money, even at the expense of President Lungu’s name.
The OP has an hidden agenda of ultimately usurping power indirectly and then directly, like in Turkey, Egypt and other countries where their intelligence exert undue influence on their governments.
OP has undue influence on the Zambian government and political leadership; It has a track record of influencing all election results -rigging elections in favor of its preferred candidates; It is…